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Rector’s Christmas and New Years Speech

5minút, 15sekúnd

Dear colleagues,
Dear students,

The most beautiful festive time of the year is approaching. The time, when there is a  room for families to meet at the Christmas tree and Christmas Eve table. We do also automatically associate Christmas with the New Years Eve. This period has its own charm too, because almost every one of our conversations begins with a New Years wish. For the employees of our university is this time of Christmas and New Year usually preceeded by a hectic period of completing scientific projects, fulfilling pedagogical duties, but also the eagerly expected slowdown in the work pace.

The year of 2020 will remain indelibly written in the history of a mankind as a year of the pandemic. A year ago, we have only briefly heard from foreign reporters about the spread of an unknown virus in China. Within two months, the “new corona virus” has spread all over the world, and terms such as COVID-19, pandemics, anti-epidemiological measures, distance learning method became the topic of the day …. there have been discussions whether the second wave of the pandemic will come and so on. I am proud of the fact, that we have managed this hectic period in the first wave, but also in the present, with honor. Summer semester has been taught at a distance, we have learned to work with the moodle portal, MS Teams, but also other software tools. Unfortunately, the predicted 2nd, even more devastating wave has come.Therefore, even though we started this winter semester in-person, after a few weeks we switched again to the distance education of our students. We do all lack social contacts. We are at work, but our campuses without students are empty and we are all aware of the importance of full-time teaching, daily dialogue between the student and a teacher, chatter and laughter of young people in the premises of alma mater ….

Nevertheless, I think that we can assign the year of 2020 to those that have stabilized our leading position in the Slovak and European higher education area. Once again, the university has with honor took a place in international rankings, and we have developed measures to promote interdisciplinarity in education and research.

For me, personally, 2020 was a big challenge. It is not easy to manage challenges of the pandemic period so that the health of employees and students is not endangered. Thanks to the excellent and dedicated work of members of the university management, faculty management and management of the university workplaces , this was possible. I issued a total of 21 orders in response to the ever-changing situation. In this way, on behalf of the entire management of the university, I would like to thank you for your trust, support and also understanding of any unintentional shortcomings. 

Together with the universities of Košice and the Slovak Academy of Sciences, we have initiated the establishment of national centres for research of hydrogen and battery technologies. Above all, together we have made a significant progress in transforming our TIP UPJŠ project into a regional project to support the development of the new industry in the region. These days, Košice Region has announced that, together with the universities, it will establish the Innovation Center of the Košice Region, whose main project will be the establishment and construction of the Košice cluster of new industry “CNIC”. We want to join forces and potential for the development of innovations, to improve the environment of universities in Košice so that our young people do not leave, but on the contrary, to attract talents from the surrounding regions and countries. Realization of a dream of revitalization of our campus on Medická street with the construction of a technological pavilion with a conference center, the revitalization of sports grounds and the construction of a swimming pool, is becoming a reality.

From the point of view of the stability of our department, I consider it important that in 2020 we have begin to apply the provisions of the Amendment to the Act on Higher Education and the Act on the Quality of Higher Education. We have behind us a year of intensive work on our internal system for monitoring the quality of education and creative activity. At the beginning of 2021, I will submit the core internal quality system documents for approval to our Scientific Board of UPJŠ.   

I am very pleased to be able again to state, that despite the problems in financing of Slovak universities, we have again improved the material conditions for increasing the quality and attractiveness of education at our university. In addition to the smaller investment events at faculties and workplaces, I would like to emphasize, that thanks to the resources of the Faculty of Medicine we have completed the insulation and aestheticization of its premises at Tr. SNP street, we have reconstructed selected lecture halls in the premises of the Faculty of Law, these days is beginning the reconstruction of the campus of the Faculty of Science on Jesenná street, we have also aestheticized some of our other buildings. We want to continue this trend so that you feel comfortable at work or school.

Dear colleagues,

I use the space of Christmas and New Years wishes to thank you for your dedicated work for our alma mater in the really difficult conditions of the pandemic. To teachers and researchers for their scientific and pedagogical performance, non-teachers for their high professionalism in administration, maintenance, operation and all necessary services. My thanks also goes to our students, who represent us at various competitions of a scientific, sports and social nature.

On my own behalf and on behalf of all members of the university management, I wish you a wonderful Christmas. Let the light of peace and happiness shine in your families together with the light of Christmas candles. In 2021, I wish you good health and a lot of success in scientific and pedagogical work. I wish students a lot of success in overcoming the challenges of demanding study, I also wish them to feel good at the university and study with the feeling that they will receive an education that will prepare them for the needs of the labor market and open the door into a real professional life.

Merry Christmas and Successful New Year 2021

Yours,
Pavol Sovák


Study at UPJŠ